Vancouver Bandits became the first team to defeat the Brampton Honey Badgers this season Saturday night, clinching a 93-87 win and extending their unbeaten run to four games.
A career-high 19 points from Dominic Parolin and 23 points and 12 assists from Jaelen House led the Bandits to victory on the latter half of a back-to-back.
“I trust my work and I trust my teammates,” said House, who recorded his fourth double-double of the season.
Both teams entered action on top of their conferences, the Bandits at 4-1 while the Honey Badgers were undefeated at 5-0.
Bandits head coach Kyle Julius credited his team’s resilience despite playing two in a row.
“We spend a lot of time on recovery because no one has to travel like we do,” said Julius.
“We make it a tough grind in practice so (we) can come and do that in games like this. I feel like we’re built for it.”
An early sub, entering Parolin into the game, gave the Bandits a jolt of energy. He recorded eight points and four rebounds by the end of the first quarter.
“Those are major stats for a Canadian in our league so I’m super proud of him,” said Julius about the Coquitlam native.
“I think the sky is the limit. He’s going to be a great pro for a really long time.”
Five Bandits reached double-digit scoring, including Parolin who also finished with a game-high three blocks. Tyrese Samuel added 17 points, a season-high seven assists and 10 rebounds, while Jarkel Joiner scored 11 points to continue his streak of scoring 10+ points in his first three games.
Bandits briefly took the lead in the third quarter, but the Honey Badgers’ bench, led by six quick points from Keon Ambrose-Hylton helped them take a 67-64 lead into the final quarter.
Vancouver began the fourth quarter on a 13-2 run and never looked back, with buckets coming from all areas of the court.
A Miller Kopp three pointer in target time sealed the win for the Bandits. Kopp finished with 18 points and four threes made.
“(Miller) has been phenomenal. I love coaching him and being around him,” said Julius.
“He’s special because he doesn’t get too high or too low and that’s why he’s always ready to make a shot.”
The Bandits will travel to take on the Ottawa Blackjacks for the final game of a three-game round trip on Tuesday, before heading to Kelowna for a matchup with the Saskatoon Mamba.
“We just stay the course and follow the process.”